Hosanna

by Katelyne Parker

The B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree for Literary Fiction, 2017 Illumination Book Award Winner, and Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist

The last thing Hosanna wants is a bucket, a dishrag, and a brush. After all, it’s been fifteen years.

Her heart and knees have grown callous from years of scrubbing floors for her racist grandmother who's disgusted over the unlawful deeds of Hosanna's white mother and black father.

But Hosanna is now tired. Tired of her grandmother who has cloaked the family’s shame for far too long. So tired, she has waxed in wrath, counted every injustice, and rebelled against all who obstruct her quest for truth.

So will she ever find peace?

This uniquely-crafted story transcends time and takes us from the racial animus of 1945 to the abiding power of grace that heals and binds divisive wounds.

Reviews

"Hosanna is a well-written book, obviously professionally edited, with a thought-provoking story line that embraces the racial divide in 1940s Georgia. The author artfully developed the characters and their sometimes difficult dialogue to portray the culture for that time period in such a compelling way that I felt I was right there with them. The plot was well-structured, the narrative flowed well, and the story was engaging. 5 Stars." ―Awesome Indies

"Katelyne Parker’s Hosanna is a fresh and emotional historical novel that emphasizes the importance of love despite class and racial differences. Hosanna’s voice is memorable within this timeless story." ―Clarion Review

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2016

About the author

Katelyne Parker, the B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree for Literary Fiction, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist, and 2017 Illumination Book Award Winner, was born in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, but came of age in south Florida. After she graduated from Barry University, she worked as an educator for over fifteen years. Her award-winning debut novel, HOSANNA, is a captivating story that will confront the mind and inspire the soul. Today, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son. Learn more about Katelyne on her website and follow her on Facebook and Pinterest.

www.katelyneparker.com
www.facebook.com/authorkatelyneparker
www.pinterest.com/katelyneparker

Reviews

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that HOSANNA by Katelyne Parker is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!

[Stephanie *Spunky Avenger* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hosanna by Katelyne Parker.
This is one of those books that you want to sometimes grab characters through the pages and smack them upside the head and ask what on earth you were thinking. This was another one of those I grabbed off the bookshelf and wasn't sure what it was about.
It's based on a young mixed girl from back in the thirites and forties when segregation was the law and you couldn't have mixed children. My heart broke at times with what this poor child went through.
If I could give this book 10 stars I would because of good it is, make sure how have a box of tissues on one side and a stress ball on the other.

[Awesome Indies Book Awards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include HOSANNA by KATELYNE PARKER in the library of Awesome Indies' Badge of Approval recipients.
Original Awesome Indies' Assessment (5 stars):

Hosanna is a well-written book, obviously professionally edited, with a thought-provoking story line that embraces the racial divide in 1940s Georgia. The author artfully developed the characters and their sometimes difficult dialogue to portray the culture for that time period in such a compelling way that I felt I was right there with them. The plot was well-structured, the narrative flowed well, and the story was engaging. 5 Stars.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can*]

I received this via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.
---

Appreciate being sent the book, but just not my cup of tea:(

DNF
(Not a bad book, just not for me)

[Mandy O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Katelyne Parker for my Goodreads giveaway of Hosanna. I couldn't put this book down...I just really wanted to find out what happened to Hosanna. I really liked the way this book ended (although I was sad to turn the last page because I wanted to read more).

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful. It’s the best word to describe this book. This is the South in the 1940’s when too many people still believed that there were two types of people, the superior white folks and the inferior ones who worked for them. It was a time of blatant racism and unfounded distrust of anyone who was not white.

This is the story of a young girl, Hosanna, who works in her grandmother’s house from the age of three. She exists only on the periphery of her grandmother’s life. She is of mixed blood and never to be acknowledged by her white grandmother.

Hosanna burns with resentment and anger towards her grandmother who won’t admit she exists, her mother who lies in bed in perpetual mourning and the father who chooses not to acknowledge her out of fear for himself and the woman he loves.

Hosanna is consumed with the injustice of her life to the point where there is no room for happiness. Her one hope is pinned on the dream of a house of her own, with no one to tell her how to sweep or mop or cook.

There were times while I read this book that I felt Hosanna was taking too long to put the anger aside and see the good bits of her life. It was a long trip over many years for Hosanna to finally wake up and reach for what had been waiting for her all those years.

This was a very good book which I enjoyed reading.

This book was won in a First Reads giveaway.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't love this book. I felt like I had to decipher some of the prose in the first half, and disliked most of the characters throughout (especially Hosanna who was violent, hateful and could be just plain mean). Granted, Hosanna's life from the get-go was horrific as she was surrounded by people who treated her brutally (and was born in a time in which African Americans were treated especially terrible). But I still had a difficult time garnering any real sympathy for her because of her attitude and general lack of likeability. The second half flowed better and the language seemed less poetic which made for a quicker read. 3.5 stars ....but rounding up as overall an impressive debut novel by this author ...just not my cup of tea.

[Florence Osmund · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few books I read that will linger in my mind for a long time, and Hosanna is one of them. Told from the perspective of a young and troubled mixed-race girl, this book includes a remarkably accurate depiction of what it must have been like to be in her shoes in 1940s Georgia, living with her dysfunctional family members. The author captured and relayed everything so beautifully – the characters, the time period, the culture. I commend Ms. Parker for creating such a poignant main character with such a compelling story. Highly recommended.

[Aletha Pagett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first page of the prologue and thought, "Oh, no. I am not going to like this." By the time I started chapter 1, I loved this book and could hardly wait to see where the fantastic characters were going to take me. I felt as if I knew the people that populated this very unique novel and instead of hating the unlovable characters, I understood them. Found this to be a wonderful and most unusual book which I received through Goodreads. Will definitely be watching for more by this author.

[Shannon Pennockl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This was a good book, well written and thoroughly engaging. Although there were a lot of times I wanted Hosanna to stop being so hard headed and blaming everyone else for her hardship, I could understand why she was that way. The other characters were excellent and rounded out the story.

[Shan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very different interesting read. Definitely not a pageturner but definitely a story that will keep your attention to the very last page. Every time I put this book down I kept wondering what Hosanna was up to and picked it up again. I really enjoyed this story and it ended in a beautiful way. Miss Margaret will make you CRINGE! She is something else and will never change.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished reading this book. It was interesting to read about Hosanna's experiences as a mixed race child in the American south in the 40's on up. Not exactly what I was expecting and felt no great hurry to read the story (it wasn't a page turner). Not a bad story. Certainly worth a read. Just not my cup of tea, I guess. Still, well-written.

[Susan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good read. You feel for Hosanna who is born to a White mother and African-american father with a racist grandmother. The book really gives you a feel for Georgia in the 1940's. A very good read.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely amazing. I'm of mixed decent like Hosanna but I've never had to go through the trials that she has. She is such a strong character and I really enjoyed reading about her.

[Sarena Nanua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one. Definitely great if you liked The Help!